Sometimes, the people who should love us most can be the cruelest. I never thought anyone could be so mean to someone they claimed to love. When my best friend left for a work trip, she asked me to watch her house. I agreed, not knowing I’d find out about her husband’s cheating—and his sneaky plan to take everything from her. But when I told her the truth, she didn’t thank me. She blamed me instead.
They say friends are the family you pick. I used to believe that completely. Tess had been my best friend since college, and even after all these years, we stayed tight.
We’d laughed, cried, and shared almost everything. But my gut had never screamed louder than the day I met Cal, Tess’s husband. Something about him felt off.
Cold eyes with a fake smile. Like someone acting nice but hiding something bad underneath. I didn’t like him then. And I liked him even less now.
One day, Tess and I were sitting on her porch, like we’d done a million times before.
The air was warm with late spring heat, soft but not sticky, and her cat, Muffin, was stretched out on the sunlit tiles, one paw twitching in a dream.
Tess stirred sugar into her tea, slow and quiet. Then she looked up at me with that guilty little smile I knew too well—the kind she used when she wanted something but hated asking.
“I need a favor,” Tess said. Her voice was soft, like she knew I wouldn’t like it.
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. “What kind of favor?”
She looked away. “I’m flying to Chicago next week. Big work meeting. I’ll be gone five days.”
I waited. She still hadn’t asked anything real.
“Could you check on the house?” she said. “Feed Muffin, water the plants, maybe grab the mail. Just keep it from looking empty.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And your husband? What’s he doing while you’re gone?”
She stared at her tea. “He said it’s not really his thing.”
I blinked. “What’s not his thing?”
“Looking after the house. Feeding the cat. He said it’s not a guy’s job.”
I laughed, not kindly. “So, he can sell houses and wear fancy shirts, but a can of cat food is too much?”
Her face tightened. “Cal’s just not into house stuff. That’s how he is.”
I leaned forward. “Tess, I love you. You know that. But you’re doing it again.”
She frowned. “Doing what?”
“Making excuses for him. Again. He barely helps, but you keep defending him. Why?”
Her voice got sharp. “You’ve never liked him. From the start. You always look for reasons to hate him.”
“I had reasons, Tess. I still do. My gut said no the second I met him.”
She pointed at me. “You’re single, Kalia. And that’s not his fault.”
That stung, but I kept my voice steady. “You think I’m jealous? You think I want your life?”
She stood up, arms crossed. “You never gave him a chance. You decided you didn’t like him before he even opened his mouth.”
Before I could reply, the sliding door opened. Cal stepped out like he owned the place. Neat shirt. Perfect hair. Phone in hand, thumbs typing.
“What’s the talk about?” he said. “Me again?”
“Just your refusal to feed the cat,” I said.
He gave that smug grin I hated. “I leave that stuff to the experts. It’s called being smart.”
I turned to Tess. “He hasn’t looked up from that phone. Who’s he texting so much?”
“It’s work,” she said. “He’s got a big client. House sales.”
I stared at his screen. “Must be a really chatty deal.”
Tess slammed her glass down. “Enough. If you’re going to keep picking on him, maybe you shouldn’t help.”
I sighed. “I said I’d do it, and I will. For you. Not him.”
Cal looked up. “Try not to mess up the place.”
I smiled. “Wouldn’t want to ruin your castle.”
But I was already planning to keep my eyes open.
It was late afternoon when I pulled into Tess’s driveway. The sky looked weird—dark clouds moved slow, and the air felt heavy, like something bad was coming.
I parked and walked up the steps. The back door key felt warm in my hand. I unlocked it and stepped inside.
Muffin was there right away, rubbing against my leg, purring loud like always. He had no clue what was going on.
I bent down and scratched his ears. “Hey, buddy,” I whispered. “Let’s get you some food.”
I filled his bowl and added water, then walked around the kitchen. I checked the plants by the window and the mail on the counter. Everything looked normal. Too normal. Then I heard it.
Laughter.
A man’s voice—Cal. And then a woman’s laugh followed.
I froze at the bottom of the stairs. My heart pounded. I moved slowly, as quiet as I could. The bedroom door was open a crack. I stepped closer and peeked in.
Cal was on the bed. His shirt was half open. Next to him was a woman wearing Tess’s robe, sipping from her favorite glass like she lived there.
“I told you it would work,” Cal said. He raised his glass and took a sip. “She signed it without looking. Didn’t even ask questions. Just trusted me like always.”
The woman laughed. “You sure this gives you the house?”
Cal leaned back on the pillows. “Yup. Once I get it notarized on Friday, it’s done. She thinks it’s just bank stuff. Something about loans. I kept it simple.”
The woman looked around. “What about her stuff? Clothes? Books?”
He waved his hand. “We’ll toss what we don’t want. Maybe sell some stuff. I’ve already packed some boxes. The rest is junk. The cat’s gone too.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Wow. She’s going to be heartbroken.”
Cal smirked. “She won’t care. We’ll be gone before she figures it out. I’ve been checking out condos in Miami. Pool, gym, the works. This place will be sold by the time she’s back.”
I felt sick. I couldn’t listen anymore. My foot bumped the edge of the stairs. A small creak.
Cal’s head snapped up. “What was that?” he asked, voice sharp.
I didn’t wait. I ran. Down the stairs. Out the back door. Into my car. My hands shook as I grabbed my phone. I called Tess.
“Kalia?” she answered. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a woman in your house. With Cal. I saw them. I heard everything. He tricked you into signing papers. He’s stealing your house.”
She didn’t answer right away.
Then she said, “You’re lying.”
“I’m not. Tess, please believe me—”
“You’ve always hated him. You’ve been waiting to ruin us. You’re jealous. And now you’re making up stories.”
“No, I’m trying to save you. I’m trying to help you.”
Her voice turned cold. “Don’t call me again.”
Click. The line went dead.
Later that evening, my doorbell rang. I opened it. Cal stood there. Calm. Hands in his pockets.
“She told me everything,” he said. “About your little story.”
I didn’t blink. “I’m not scared of you.”
He stepped closer. “You should be. Keep pushing, and someone’s going to get hurt.”
I knew Tess wouldn’t believe me unless she saw it herself. Words wouldn’t do it. Not even tears would change her mind. Tess loved him too much. She was too loyal. Too stubborn.
She wouldn’t leave without solid proof. Something she could see. Something she couldn’t ignore.
That’s why I did something I hated—something that felt mean and wrong, but also necessary.
I downloaded a fake call app. I set it up to look like the hospital was calling her.
The message said I’d been in a car crash. It said I was in the emergency room and not waking up.
I knew it was bad to scare her like that, but it was the only way to get her back fast.
And it worked.
Six hours later, there was a knock at my door. Tess stood there, out of breath. Her hair was messy. Her eyes were wide. She looked like she’d been crying.
“Are you okay?” Tess asked, rushing inside. Her face was pale, and she was breathing hard.
“I’m fine,” I said. “There was no crash. I’m not hurt. I made it up.”
“You lied to me?” she yelled. Her voice shook. “What’s wrong with you, Kalia? Why would you do that?”
“Because you wouldn’t listen,” I said. “You wouldn’t hear me. I had to get you back. I needed you to see it yourself.”
She stared at me, her eyes full of hurt. For a moment, I thought she might slap me. But then she took a deep breath and said, “Okay. Show me.”
We drove to her house. Neither of us spoke. The silence felt heavy.
When we got to her street, I parked a few houses down. We got out and walked slowly. At her window, we stopped and looked inside.
Cal was on the couch with the same woman. They were kissing like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Tess didn’t speak. She pulled out her phone. Her hands shook, but she took picture after picture. Her jaw tightened.
“I want to go inside,” she said.
We walked to the door. It was unlocked.
Inside, everything felt different. The smell of her favorite candle was gone.
The hallway was cold and quiet. Black trash bags lined the wall. Boxes were piled up.
Harsh words were written on them: “JUNK,” “DONATE,” “TRASH.” Her life was being packed away like it was nothing.
Tess’s voice cut through the air like a blade. “Cal!”
He spun around fast, eyes wide. “Tess? What are you doing here?”
She stepped forward. Her voice was loud. Her hands were clenched into fists. “What am I doing here? Are you kidding? You liar! You cheat! You’re throwing away my life like it’s garbage!”
The woman on the couch jumped up. She grabbed her purse and started heading for the door. “I’ll just—”
“Sit down!” Tess snapped. “I’m not done.”
Cal raised both hands. “Tess, hold on. This isn’t what it looks like.”
She laughed, but it sounded sharp and cold. “Not what it looks like? You’re kissing another woman in my house! She’s wearing my robe. Drinking from my glass. You put my stuff in trash bags. And you’re telling her my house is yours now?”
Cal looked nervous. “You signed the papers. You didn’t even read them.”
“You tricked me,” Tess said. Her voice was shaking now. “You said it was for a loan. You stood there and lied to my face.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s signed. It’s legal. It’s done. You messed it all up.”
Then he turned to me and pointed. “This is her fault. Kalia. She’s been against me from the start. She turned you against me.”
Tess took one step toward him. “No, Cal. You did this yourself. Kalia told the truth. You think you can break me? You think you can take everything I have and leave me with nothing?”
She shook her head. “You’ll be the one left with nothing. Just your ego. And that won’t help you now.”
Cal’s face twisted. “You’ll regret this.”
“No,” Tess said. Her voice was calm now. “You will.”
She pointed at the door. “Get out. Both of you. I don’t want to see either of you in this house again.”
The woman ran out first. She didn’t look back. Cal stood there a moment longer.
His jaw was tight. His fists clenched. Then he turned and walked out. He slammed the door behind him.
Tess didn’t move. She didn’t cry. She didn’t yell. She just stood there. Still and quiet.
I looked at her. “You’re really calm.”
She turned to me. “Because I already knew. I’ve felt it for a while. I knew he was cheating. I saw the weird papers. I just didn’t want to believe it. I needed proof.”
“You could’ve told me,” I said.
“I didn’t want it to feel fake,” she said. “I needed him to think I still trusted him. And I needed you to act normal. You did.”
I nodded. “So… you used me?”
She shook her head. “No. I trusted you. Even when I acted like I didn’t. You stood by me.”
“I always will,” I said.
She gave me a small smile. Then she looked at the bags and boxes. “Let’s clean this up. I’ve got a life to rebuild.”
